A rape victim who was left suicidal after her treatment at the hands of police has won £20,000 in an out-of-court settlement.
The woman - who was a teenager at the time of the sex attack - was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice after reporting that she was raped in 2012.
Hampshire Constabulary reached an agreement with the woman, named only as Laura, after she began proceedings against the force under the Human Rights Act, the BBC reported.
The victim had been arrested two months after the complaint following forensic tests on her clothes not returning a result.
But the Crown Prosecution Service ordered it to be re-tested and her attacker was eventually jailed for five years in 2013.
Speaking to the broadcaster, the woman's mother - given the pseudonym Jacqui - explained that Laura had attempted suicide twice after her arrest and that her mental health had deteriorated.
She said: "I was horrified. You expect them to do everything they can to put the rapist away."
The woman's mother continued: "She started self-harming again. She attempted twice on her life because she couldn't cope."
It was not until six months after being arrested that the woman finally learned she was in the clear.
Chief Superintendent David Powell admitted the initial handling of the case had been "poor".
He was quoted as saying: "We have already personally apologised to the victim and her mother and I repeat here now that we are sorry for how we let her down.
"The initial officers involved did not treat this victim in a way that she or any other victim would deserve to be treated. We deeply regret this."
Addressing other sexual assault victims, he added: "We do believe you, we appreciate how hard it is to come forward to report these offences ... we are doing everything to ensure we never have an initial response like this again."
The force also confirmed that one officer had received a written warning for misconduct, while 10 had received management action.
